Search-point.com virus
Search-point.com virus Removal Guide
What is Search-point.com virus?
Reasons to stop using Search-point.com:
In this article, we would like to introduce another annoying browser hijacker – the Search-point.com virus. Bundled with freeware or shareware applications this malware enters computers undetected and continues to run silently in the background of the system. It can be difficult to notice that an unauthorized hijack has occurred, unless, of course, you know the typical signs of a malware infection. One of the primary red flags to pay attention to is the unusual behavior of your browser. You may suddenly find search-point.com set as your default search engine. The same suspicious site may start loading as your homepage as well. Also, the link to this site may appear on random shortcuts on your desktop which is far from what a reliable search engine would normally do. On top of it all, the virus will try to obfuscate its removal by creating HKLM\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Policies\Google\Chrome\HomepageLocation and HKLM\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Policies\Google\Chrome\RestoreOnStartupURLs\1 registry entries, which will allow the virus to bounce back to the browser after you attempt to switch your browser’s settings back to the regular ones. Luckily, even with all the techniques it uses to stay on your computer, you can still remove Search-point.com and get back to your usual homepage once again. Using FortectIntego or other professional antivirus utilities you should be able to do that in just a few steps.

To elaborate more on the typical ways browser hijackers behave on the infected devices it should be noted that these programs may negatively influence not only your browser but the whole computer system, too. Usually, they are developed paying little attention to their smooth performance and focusing more on their capability to generate sponsored ads and bring profit to its creators. Search Point is involved in the advertising business as well and this suggests another important reason why you should not trust this program. Presumably, there are hundreds of third-parties which this ad-based virus promotes in its search results, but none of them can be properly investigated for reliability. Consequently, it is highly possible that some of these sites can also contain some infectious content and visiting them can attract additional malware to your PC. What is more, this virus uses Google’s custom search engine, so the feature for malicious software filtering is not enabled on it either. This means that you will receive no warning before entering harmful websites. Thus, it is recommended to let your antivirus take care of the Search-point.com removal and get back to using the legitimate Google engine instead.
Where can you encounter such a virus?
Search-point.com is no different from the great majority of the browser hijackers. You can unknowingly allow it to enter your computer when setting up new software you have downloaded from the web. The virus attaches itself to random freeware or shareware applications and aims to be installed as an additional software package component. Such system infiltrations are common, but they are not inevitable. More experienced users are already aware that potentially unwanted programs are usually hidden in the Advanced or Custom installation settings and choose these modes to expose unwanted install material. If you want to prevent Search-point.com infiltration, you should use these settings too and look for pre-marked options allowing this suspicious search engine to become your homepage. Once you do, unmark this option and proceed with the installation.
How can you safely remove Search-point.com from your computer?
Search-point.com removal is not difficult, does not take a lot of time and unlike other, more serious viruses, leaves no damage to your computer after it is done. However, there is always something that can go wrong if you jump head-first into a situation you have no experience with. If you are dealing with a browser hijacker for the first time, you should better use some professional antivirus software to remove Search-point.com for you. Alternatively, the users with more advanced computer skills can follow the manual tutorial to decontaminate and remove this malicious program from their computer themselves.
You may remove virus damage with a help of FortectIntego. SpyHunter 5Combo Cleaner and Malwarebytes are recommended to detect potentially unwanted programs and viruses with all their files and registry entries that are related to them.
Getting rid of Search-point.com virus. Follow these steps
Uninstall from Windows
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Click Start → Control Panel → Programs and Features (if you are Windows XP user, click on Add/Remove Programs).
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If you are Windows 10 / Windows 8 user, then right-click in the lower left corner of the screen. Once Quick Access Menu shows up, select Control Panel and Uninstall a Program.
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Uninstall Search-point.com and related programs
Here, look for Search-point.com or any other recently installed suspicious programs. -
Uninstall them and click OK to save these changes.
Delete from macOS
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If you are using OS X, click Go button at the top left of the screen and select Applications.
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Wait until you see Applications folder and look for Search-point.com or any other suspicious programs on it. Now right click on every of such entries and select Move to Trash.
Remove from Microsoft Edge
Delete unwanted extensions from MS Edge:
- Select Menu (three horizontal dots at the top-right of the browser window) and pick Extensions.
- From the list, pick the extension and click on the Gear icon.
- Click Remove.

Clear cookies and other browser data:
- Click on the Menu (three horizontal dots at the top-right of the browser window) and select Settings > Privacy, search, and services..
- Under Clear browsing data, pick Choose what to clear.
- Select Cookies and other site data and Cached images and files. (apart from passwords, although you might want to include Media licenses as well, if applicable) and click on Clear.

Restore new tab and homepage settings:
- Click the menu icon and choose Settings.
- Then find On startup section.
- Click Remove next to any suspicious startup page.
Reset MS Edge if the above steps did not work:
- Press on Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager.
- Click on More details arrow at the bottom of the window.
- Select Details tab.
- Now scroll down and locate every entry with Microsoft Edge name in it. Right-click on each of them and select End Task to stop MS Edge from running.

Instructions for Chromium-based Edge
Delete extensions from MS Edge (Chromium):
- Open Edge and click select Settings > Extensions.
- Delete unwanted extensions by clicking Remove.

Clear cache and site data:
- Click on Menu and go to Settings.
- Select Privacy, search and services.
- Under Clear browsing data, pick Choose what to clear.
- Under Time range, pick All time.
- Select Clear now.

Reset Chromium-based MS Edge:
- Click on Menu and select Settings.
- On the left side, pick Reset settings.
- Select Restore settings to their default values.
- Confirm with Reset.
- This will disable extensions and reset startup pages but will not delete bookmarks, saved passwords, or browsing history.

Remove from Mozilla Firefox (FF)
Remove dangerous extensions:
- Open Mozilla Firefox browser and click on the Menu (three horizontal lines at the top-right of the window).
- Select Add-ons.
- In here, select the unwanted extension and click Remove.

Reset the homepage:
- Click three horizontal lines at the top right corner to open the menu.
- Choose Settings.
- Under Home, set your preferred homepage and new tab settings.
Clear cookies and site data:
- Click Menu and pick Settings.
- Go to Privacy & Security section.
- Scroll down to locate Cookies and Site Data.
- Click on Clear Data…
- Select Cookies and Site Data and Temporary cached files and pages, then click Clear.

Reset Mozilla Firefox
If clearing the browser as explained above did not help, reset Mozilla Firefox:
- Open Mozilla Firefox browser and click the Menu.
- Go to Help and then choose Troubleshooting Information.

- Under Give Firefox a tune up section, click on Refresh Firefox…
- Once the pop-up shows up, confirm the action by pressing on Refresh Firefox.

Remove from Google Chrome
Delete malicious extensions from Google Chrome:
- Open Google Chrome, click on the Menu (three vertical dots at the top-right corner) and select More tools > Extensions.
- In the newly opened window, you will see all the installed extensions. Uninstall all suspicious extensions related to the unwanted program by clicking Remove.

Clear cache and web data from Chrome:
- Click on Menu and pick Settings.
- Under Privacy and security, select Clear browsing data.
- Select Browsing history, Cookies and other site data, as well as Cached images and files.
- Click Clear data.

Change your homepage:
- Click menu and choose Settings.
- Look for a suspicious site in the On startup section.
- Click on Open a specific or set of pages and click on three dots to find the Remove option.
Reset Google Chrome:
If the previous methods did not help you, reset Google Chrome to eliminate all the unwanted components:
- Click on Menu and select Settings.
- In the Settings, scroll down and click Advanced.
- Scroll down and locate Reset and clean up section.
- Now click Restore settings to their original defaults.
- Confirm with Reset settings.

Delete from Safari
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Remove dangerous extensions
Open Safari web browser and click on Safari in menu at the top left of the screen. Once you do this, select Preferences.
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Here, select Extensions and look for Search-point.com or other suspicious entries. Click on the Uninstall button to get rid each of them.
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Reset Safari
Open Safari browser and click on Safari in menu section at the top left of the screen. Here, select Reset Safari....
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Now you will see a detailed dialog window filled with reset options. All of those options are usually checked, but you can specify which of them you want to reset. Click the Reset button to complete Search-point.com removal process.
After uninstalling this potentially unwanted program (PUP) and fixing each of your web browsers, we recommend you to scan your PC system with a reputable anti-spyware. This will help you to get rid of Search-point.com registry traces and will also identify related parasites or possible malware infections on your computer. For that you can use our top-rated malware remover: FortectIntego, SpyHunter 5Combo Cleaner or Malwarebytes.
How to prevent from getting stealing programs
Do not let government spy on you
The government has many issues in regards to tracking users' data and spying on citizens, so you should take this into consideration and learn more about shady information gathering practices. Avoid any unwanted government tracking or spying by going totally anonymous on the internet.
You can choose a different location when you go online and access any material you want without particular content restrictions. You can easily enjoy internet connection without any risks of being hacked by using Private Internet Access VPN.
Control the information that can be accessed by government any other unwanted party and surf online without being spied on. Even if you are not involved in illegal activities or trust your selection of services, platforms, be suspicious for your own security and take precautionary measures by using the VPN service.
Backup files for the later use, in case of the malware attack
Computer users can suffer from data losses due to cyber infections or their own faulty doings. Ransomware can encrypt and hold files hostage, while unforeseen power cuts might cause a loss of important documents. If you have proper up-to-date backups, you can easily recover after such an incident and get back to work. It is also equally important to update backups on a regular basis so that the newest information remains intact – you can set this process to be performed automatically.
When you have the previous version of every important document or project you can avoid frustration and breakdowns. It comes in handy when malware strikes out of nowhere. Use Data Recovery Pro for the data restoration process.